Sad day as Kiribati deportee gets marching orders

News that Ioane Teitiota will be deported to Kiribati will be a blow to him and his family and to the local Kiribati community, Te Atatu MP Phil Twyford says.

“As the local MP, I had asked Associate Immigration Minister Craig Foss to allow the family to stay in New Zealand on humanitarian grounds.

“It now appears Mr Teitiota is due to be deported on Wednesday.

"This is very sad for the family and the Kiribati community. We gave it our best shot. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

“While the courts rejected Mr Teitiota's bid to be classed a refugee, this case has highlighted the need for the Government to do more to tackle the threat of rising sea levels to low lying Pacific nations like Kiribati and Tuvalu,” Phil Twyford says.